Hard truths are… well… hard. In the midst of the Israeli ground push into Gaza, the hundreds of Palestinians who have been killed, the dozens of rockets that have been fired into Israel and the tens of thousands protesting around the world, finding truth is very difficult.

When covering a story such as this, it is easy to paint the picture of “two sides”, the Israeli side and the Palestinian side. Most people, before learning even one fact have already made up their mind which side they are on. This is the kind of story where the average person already “knows” what they believe before they actually know the circumstances.

Having said that, the truth about what is happening today in Gaza is not a story of two sides. There are three players here, the Israelis, Hamas and the Palestinian people and without question, the losing side… the Palestinian people.

As of today, Israeli troops continue to battle Hamas militants in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll from the 12-day offensive has topped 340, according to officials in Gaza. 70 of those killed are children, not terrorists or soldiers, but children. So is Israel to blame for those deaths, yes. Are they solely to blame, no.

Israel

Yes, Israel is using force and weapons. Air strikes into Gaza have laid waste to homes and innocent people including those children. Though if we are looking for truth, Israel does take a number steps that in a war situation are fairly unprecedented. For instance, my sources, who are on the ground in Gaza, not simply reading about this story online, tell me that the Israeli military is using a system for SMS text messaging to contact people in targeted areas and warning of an upcoming strike in hopes that civilians will leave in time. In addition, the Israelis also use something called “roof knockers”, loud noise bombs which do not cause physical harm but are designed to scare civilians out of a home before the building is struck. Again, whether you support Israel or not, these are measures that most military do not and would not use to protect civilians.

On the other hand, Israel is using airstrikes that are killing civilians who are out in the open. Whats more, the show of force from Israel, with a death toll of 340 civilians is extraordinarily high when compared to the fact that only 1 Israeli has died in the past 12 days.

Some would argue that Israel is opportunistic in their offensive into Gaza, using a claim of self-defense to further clamp down on the Palestinian people. For instance, because the Israeli military has had a held a blockade on Gaza since 2007, they have severely limited necessary goods from reaching the Palestinian people such as food, water, electricity, gas, construction materials, and other necessities. To be clear, the stated purpose for the blockade is to prevent military weapons and mortars from reaching Hamas. The blockade however has a political purpose as well. The idea is to weaken Hamas politically and erode support among the Palestinian people when food and necessary items are scarce. When Israel began its ground offensive into Gaza days ago, the military stated its purpose was to close off tunnels into Gaza used by terrorists. However, another hard truth, those tunnels are used by more than Hamas for homemade rockets and other weapons. Civilians bring in medicine, food, and whatever else they want that doesn’t get through the Israeli blockade. By closing off tunnels, there is more need and lack of necessities for the people.

Hamas

Meanwhile, Hamas continues to fire rockets into open spaces in Israel. Is this a provocation for war? Yes. But the death toll on the Israeli side is incredibly low. In fact, since this latest battle has begun, as I mentioned above, only one Israeli civilian has died. Is Hamas incapable of harming Israelis? No. Sources again tell me that Hamas is playing a political game and wants to see the death toll among Palestinians as high as possible for international sympathy, aid and support. These sources work on the ground to protect the Palestinians from abuses by the Israeli government and abuse by Hamas. They tell me that Hamas does not care for the Palestinian people and sees them as the means to an end. The deaths of innocent people is what Hamas is hoping for.

Therefore, I am told that when the “roof knockers” are fired over homes that at times civilians and families are kept inside, held at gunpoint. These civilians are literally prevented from leaving the building in hopes that they are killed by an airstrike. The higher the number of civilian casualties, the better for Hamas.

Just as Israel uses its relationship with the United States to draw in over $3.1 billion a year in foreign aid, Hamas garners international sympathy to collect billions in aid as well. From 2000-2009 the international community committed over $7 billion dollars to Gaza for Humanitarian aid. The Palestinian people came in second only to the Sundanese who garnered over $8 billion in aid. But apples to apples comparison in terms of per capita basis, the Palestinian Arabs receive about 9 times as much aid as the Sudanese do, and of course far more aid per capita than any other people on the planet. On the other hand, they receive far less from the United States than Israel. From fiscal year 2008-2013, annual U.S. bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip has averaged over $600 million. A far cry from the $3 billion sent to Israel annually.

In addition, some experts believe that Hamas is using this situation to create political pressure on Egypt to open up the only land crossing for aid that Israel does not control. There’s only one major supply route to Gaza that isn’t a tunnel or Israeli-controlled: the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Currently, Egypt heavily restricts the flow of people and goods in and out of the crossing. The Muslim Brotherhood is the leading Egyptian opposition group, and the Egyptian government has little desire to help out their Palestinian brethren in Hamas. The theory is that Hamas is trying to leverage public Egyptian anger at Israel into concessions from the Egypt government. The primary concession would be to open up Rafah so as to aid the Palestinian cause.

Palestinians

Finally, the Palestinian people. The phrase, caught between a rock and hard place does not do justice to their situation. The Palestinians are despised in many ways by Israel and the situation there is continually worsening. The Gaza Strip is 146 square miles, and has a population of about 1.6 million. It is incredibly densely populated. In comparison, Philadelphia is about 142 square miles and has about 1.5 million citizens. Imagine airstrikes or bombings in Philadelphia? In Gaza, nearly half the population is under the age of 18 and if you consider that the first suicide bombing from Hamas in Israel was in 1994, these young people have never known a time when Israel and the Palestinian people were not engaged in this “war”. Nearly half the population is unemployed and lives off the small amount of foreign aid that actually reaches the people.

The Palestinians live under oppression and attack from Israel. In an ongoing study of violence between Israel and Gaza, The Jerusalem Fund, a non-profit in Washington, D.C., has catalogued cease-fire violations on either side. The principal finding is as follows: “Palestinian launches have been rare and sporadic and occurred almost always after successive instances of Israeli cease-fire violations.” The numbers show that Israel actually violates ceasefires more often than Gaza. As for the Palestinians, they also live under oppression and opportunism from Hamas. These people, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters are treated as pawns in this game. They are taught to hate their “oppressors” in Israel while being sacrificed by Hamas for sympathy and international funding.

Ultimately the question is not who wins in this latest battle in Gaza, the hard truth is that since 1994 one group has consistently lost in a rigged game. For those who believe that Israel has a right to self defense, in the midst of your anger toward those who would attack Israel, you should weep for those who are being killed as pawns in this game. For those who believe that Israel is in the wrong, you should be equally outraged at Hamas’ abuse of the Palestinian people who are being robbed of their lives, their children and watching their families torn apart simply to derive international sympathy.

There is no more stark of an example where Humanity should be Greater than Politics.

All well and good Ben, but hamas is a part of mossad. Same as how al Qaeda is CIA.

cyberpigue

Much better than the reporting you allowed Rachel Blevins to get away with.

Draken

The subject of “roof knockers” came up a few days ago in my rather odd circle of online friends. Here is a video of such a device in action. The ‘knocker’ falls almost immediately, the real blast comes about a minute later. Not a lot of time to run, but still some warning…

Shame on you, Ben. HAMAS is the elected government of Gaza. They won the elections in 2006. Israel imposed a starvation blockade on Gaza to force the people to abandon their elected government and return to Israel proxy rule, much as the USSR imposed a starvation blockade on West Berlin in 1948 to force the Berliners to abandon their elected government and accept East German rule.

ISIS claims they killed the three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank but Netanyahu used that as his excuse to mount an all-out invasion into Gaza killing citizens right alongside the HAMAS government. This is like Canada pointing to the 8 people killed in Chicago over the July 4th weekend as an excuse to declare war on the Democratic party and invade the entire state of Illinois!

SomeGuy

Coming from the guy who said “LINCOLN SAVEZ MURICA FROM TEH BANKERZ” and “JFK KILLED BECUZ HE WANTED 2 ENDTHEFED”.

And no, I’m not a supporter of Israel.

michaelrivero

This seems like a good time to remind everyone reading the comments that the government of Israel pays people to post pro-Israel propaganda in social media.

Here are some stories about it.

Israels Government Is Paying College Students to Spread Pro-Israel Propaganda on Social MediaBack in August of last year, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahus office announced that the Israeli government would
be giving scholarships to college students who, engage international
audiences online by posting pro-Israel tweets/statuses etc. online. tinyurl (dot) com/ldpczhw

Israel To Pay Students For Pro-Israeli Social Media Propaganda
Israel has announced it will pay university students to circulate
pro-Israeli information on social media networks, without having to
identify themselves as working for the government. tinyurl (dot) com/pwuzmrg

Israel to pay students to defend it onlineIsrael is looking to hire university students to post pro-Israel
messages on social media networks  without needing to identify
themselves as government-linked, officials said Wednesday.

The
Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that students on
Israeli university campuses would receive full or partial scholarships
to combat anti-Semitism and calls to boycott Israel online. It said
students’ messages would parallel statements by government officials. tinyurl (dot) com/qh8jbe9

Students offered grants if they tweet pro-Israeli propaganda

In a campaign to improve its image abroad, the Israeli government
plans to provide scholarships to hundreds of students at its seven
universities in exchange for their making pro-Israel Facebook posts and
tweets to foreign audiences.

The students making the posts will not reveal online that they are
funded by the Israeli government, according to correspondence about the
plan revealed in the Haaretz newspaper. tinyurl (dot) com/o6d82wj

Israel Paying Students (30 pieces of silver?) to be Apologists for Israel

There are tons of rabid apologists lurking all about the social media
platforms ready to do Israels bidding while the IDF commits one crime
against humanity after another in Gaza. Go ahead and Tweet something
honest about what is going on and youll see what I mean.
I wondered what motivated them, in the face of the undeniable, to
continue their efforts to defend the indefensible. I should have known. I
should have remembered. Its money. Its always been money.
College students are being paid to be online apologists for the barbaric inhuman policies of Israel and the IDF. The more lies they post about glorious Israel, the higher up the corporate-styled ladder they climb, looking to achieve the ultimate
goal a free ride in college proving once again: its never too early
to sell-out. tinyurl (dot) com/p2qxnn7

Mom442

Once again, American tax dollars at work!

Bill in Ocala

Israel accepts 3 different cease fires and Hamas rejects them. Netanyahu put it best we use our rockets to protect the children, Hamas uses children to protect their rockets. The fighting would end if Hamas would just stop.

michaelrivero

You seem to forget that the last time HAMAS agreed to a cease fire with Israel in 2008, Israel broke it without any warning on Nov 4, 2008, bombing Gaza and killing several HAMAS officials after six months of peace. So why would HAMAS (or anyone else for that matter) trust anything Israel says now?

Bill in Ocala

Actually the IDF crossed into Gaza by only 250 meters, this was a specific search for a tunnel and 6 Hamas officers were killed. It was a specific incursion and not as you say. You can dance around the facts all you want but you know the truth is that Hamas is the aggressor.

michaelrivero

One need only look at the maps of Israel and Palestine over the last 60 years to see who the aggressor is; who is wiping who off of the map.

HAMAS is the legally elected government of Palestine, having won the elections in 2006. Israel, angered that the Palestinians did not elect the government Israel wanted them to have imposed the starvation blockade which exists to this very day, and tries to cover their war crimes by hiring Jewish students to post pro-Israel propaganda to websites like this, which is a sweet deal for those students as they don;t have to work in fast food joints or enslave themselves to usurious student loans. Here are a few stories about that.

Israel’s Government Is Paying College Students to Spread Pro-Israel Propaganda on Social MediaBack in August of last year, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli government would
be giving scholarships to college students who, “engage international
audiences online” by posting pro-Israel tweets/statuses etc. online. tinyurl (dot) com/ldpczhw

Israel To Pay Students For Pro-Israeli Social Media Propaganda
Israel has announced it will pay university students to circulate
pro-Israeli information on social media networks, without having to
identify themselves as working for the government. tinyurl (dot) com/pwuzmrg

Israel to pay students to defend it onlineIsrael is looking to hire university students to post pro-Israel
messages on social media networks — without needing to identify
themselves as government-linked, officials said Wednesday.

The
Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that students on
Israeli university campuses would receive full or partial scholarships
to combat anti-Semitism and calls to boycott Israel online. It said
students’ messages would parallel statements by government officials. tinyurl (dot) com/qh8jbe9

Students offered grants if they tweet pro-Israeli propaganda

In a campaign to improve its image abroad, the Israeli government
plans to provide scholarships to hundreds of students at its seven
universities in exchange for their making pro-Israel Facebook posts and
tweets to foreign audiences.

The students making the posts will not reveal online that they are
funded by the Israeli government, according to correspondence about the
plan revealed in the Haaretz newspaper. tinyurl (dot) com/o6d82wj

Israel Paying Students (30 pieces of silver?) to be Apologists for Israel

There are tons of rabid apologists lurking all about the social media
platforms ready to do Israel’s bidding while the IDF commits one crime
against humanity after another in Gaza. Go ahead and Tweet something
honest about what is going on and you’ll see what I mean.
I wondered what motivated them, in the face of the undeniable, to
continue their efforts to defend the indefensible. I should have known. I
should have remembered. It’s money. It’s always been money.
College students are being paid to be online apologists for the barbaric inhuman policies of Israel and the IDF. The more lies they post about glorious Israel, the higher up the corporate-styled ladder they climb, looking to achieve the ultimate
goal… a free ride in college… proving once again: it’s never too early
to sell-out. tinyurl (dot) com/p2qxnn7

Bill in Ocala

Legally elected government of Palestine? There has never been a state of Palestine and there isn’t one now, and I doubt there ever will be. Your whole premise is based on a fabrication. I guess so you can spout your cut and paste propaganda about college students. You’re nothing but a propaganda troll. You don’t want a debate, just an opportunity to cut and paste your URL.

michaelrivero

FLASHBACK 2006 –

Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections

tinyurl (dot) com/nzy8p

ISRAEL & PALESTINE: THE MAPS TELL THE TRUE STORY

tinyurl (dot) com/agbs9q

Lisa Liel

Israel did no such thing. Israel imposed a blockade to keep the Arabs from bringing in weapons to kill Israelis. In fact, people like you insisted that they all concrete in, saying that it would be used for building. And sure enough, it was. For building tunnels into Israel, so that they could infiltrate into Jewish towns and kill Jews there.

Israel has been giving Gaza financial aid, believe it or not. Even during their attacks. Israel provided electricity, which the Gazans have yet to pay for, fuel, food, and fresh water. No other country in the world would spend its own money supporting the country firing rockets at it.

michaelrivero

Israel did in fact do such a thing. Please know the facts before you wade in here and make total fool of yourself.

Israel imposed the starvation blockade on Gaza in 2006 when HAMAS won the elections and became the legitimate elected government of Gaza, to punish the Gazans for not electing the government Israel wanted them to have.

In April, HAMAS and Israel agreed to a cease fire and HAMAS managed to keep the splinter groups (meaning Israeli agents provocateurs) fro firing rockets into Israel. But according to an Israeli document just released by Wikileaks, Israel’s government saw the success of the cease fire as a threat, because it showed the world that HAMAS, as the duly elected government of Gaza, was maintaining control. So on November 4th, 2008, while Americans were distracted with Obama’s election victory, Israel attacked without provocation, breaking the six month cease fire and killing several HAMAS officials, then claimed HAMAS had ended the cease fire and launched Operation CAST LEAD.

The motto of the Mossad is “By way of deception, thou shalt do war.”: This is a tacit admission that Israel survives by lies, fraud. and deception, and no reasonable person, after the Lavon affair, and the attack on the USS Liberty, is going to believe anything Israel says.

JM Smith

This is the best summary of the situation that I have come across which lays the blame where it belongs…on BOTH Israel and Hamas. Thank you for speaking out for the real victims in all of this, the Palestinian civilians!

Wayne Owens Sr.

Here is a humane solution. Egypt and Jordan open their borders and allow THEIR PEOPLE – now politically named Palestinians to flow into Egypt and Jordan, back into THEIR HOMELAND. Second, have the oil rich nations of the Middle East pay for and prepare vast areas with luxury for the return of THEIR OWN PEOPLE. Have areas of the Sinai and areas East of the Jordan River in Jordan made plush and have jobs — infra-structure needed jobs waiting for THEIR OWN PEOPLE. Question, iss there something about the particular tribes of ” Palestinians” that are so rejected by Jordanians and Egyptians?? Are they some kind of underclass or from the wrong tribe ??

Mom442

What a question…here in the U.S. we are wondering what to do with the massive influx of “refugees” coming through our southern border. Most Americans are not happy about it. Unless Israel has greatly decreased the number of living Palestinians, there would be 1.8 million of them to be absorbed (and many thousands of them totally disabled with horrific injuries). The neighboring nations have already absorbed millions of them fleeing from that region. Of course, they do not have unlimited resources and are not happy about it. In addition, the Palestinians have lived in the Gaza region for many thousands of years. They are “Semites” just as the native Jews. The new Testament referred to them as Gentiles or Samaritans. A huge number of them were converted to Christianity by St. Paul and the other apostles.

Lisa Liel

Are you high? The so-called Palestinians are Arabs. Many of them came when the Arabs conquered the middle east 1300 years ago. Many more immigrated there from Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The only people who lived there “thousands of years” ago are the Jews.

There are incorrect facts in this article about certain details. For one, yes, it is true that Israel has a texting service to alert citizens of an airstrike, but that ONLY for ISRAELI citizens. Palestinians do get the noise bomb first–that is correct, but the time between the noise bomb and the actual bombs is only about 3 minutes (hardly a warning). Many news sources have admitted to this in recent reportings.

Lisa Liel

And even with that app, Israelis have 15 seconds to get to a shelter. I suspect they’d love to have 3 whole minutes.

Only the people in Sderot, who have been being shelled continually by the Arabs ever since Israel left Gaza in 2005. I don’t blame them. But you apparently think that watching the enemy get its ass kicked is a terrible crime. Much worse than the actual firing of rockets into population centers, *intentionally* targeting civilians.

Mom442

My point, Lisa, was that the population must not be very afraid of those “rockets” if they can sit out in the open near the border and party down with the ‘rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air’! As for “the actual firing of rockets into population centers, *intentionally* targeting civilians” you obviously believe that is wrong… unless “Israel” is doing it.

Mom442

It’s not 3 minutes–it is 58 seconds.

KenD

Nuke Israel

Bill in Ocala

you’re an ignorant douche.

LTE2

“Nuke Israel”
.
Makes sense, destroy the only stable country (outside of Turkey) in the Mid-east.

Redheaded Stepchild

The stupid is thick with this one.

ISrael

“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”― Golda Meir

Redheaded Stepchild

She’s the one who refused to save her own people in 1938.

Frankly Knot

“Forcing us to kill their children” ?? Reminds me one of my friends ex-girlfriends who would wreck the apartment if he came home too late. She would claim he was forcing her to do it. LOL. Nobody in their right mind is fooled by that idiotic logic.

http://www.RedNovaMedia.com/ DJ Nicke

If this were true, the civilians are held inside at gunpoint then:
1) There would be a lot more casualties
2) Whoever is holding the gun would be dead

Also, if the families knew they were about to be killed anyway, why not risk attacking those holding you hostage? You might die trying, but it’s better than DEFINITELY dying and not trying.

Sorry Ben Swann, but this story is bull.

I trust you for truth, not more false propaganda!

Mimi

You can hold people at gun point, block them from leaving their homes and make them scared to leave. Islamists have already shown their capability to allow and get as many children killed as possible to play in their favour. Children go to heaven in their eyes as well as matyrs. Hamas militants are martyrs they don’t give a shit about life, just Allah and winning against the Jews. And the death toll is at high levels, as Israelis aren’t specifically targeting civilians like Syrian and Iraqi government does.

Redheaded Stepchild

During WWII, the Zionists had the opportunity to save many of their fellow Jews, but they needed martyrs.

Learn a few things about Zionists and their history from Jews themselves:

–President Roosevelt convened the Evian conference July 6-15 1938, to deal with the Jewish refugee problem. The Jewish Agency delegation headed by Golda Meir (Meirson) ignored a German offer to allow Jews to emigrate to other countries for $250 a head, and the Zionists made no effort to influence the United States and the 32 other countries attending the conference to allow immigration of German and Austrian Jews.

–On Feb 1, 1940 Henry Montor executive vice-President of the United Jewish Appeal refused to intervene for a shipload of Jewish refugees stranded on the Danube river, stating that “Palestine cannot be flooded with… old people or with undesirables.”

–Read “The Millions That Could Have Been Saved” by I.Domb.
It is an historical fact that in 1941 and again in 1942, the German Gestapo offered all European Jews transit to Spain, if they would relinquish all their property in Germany and Occupied France; on condition that: a) none of the deportees travel from Spain to Palestine; and b) all the deportees be transported from Spain to the USA or British colonies, and there to remain; with entry visas to be arranged by the Jews living there; and c) $1000.00 ransom for each family to be furnished by the Agency, payable upon the arrival of the family at the Spanish border at the rate of 1000 families daily.

The Zionist leaders in Switzerland and Turkey received this offer with the clear understanding that the exclusion of Palestine as a destination for the deportees was based on an agreement between the Gestapo and the Mufti.

The answer of the Zionist leaders was negative, with the following comments: a) ONLY Palestine would be considered as a destination for the deportees. b) The European Jews must accede to suffering and death greater in measure than the other nations, in order that the victorious allies agree to a “Jewish State” at the end of the war. c) No ransom will be paid This response to the Gestapo’s offer was made with the full knowledge that the alternative to this offer was the gas chamber.

These treacherous Zionist leaders betrayed their own flesh and blood. Zionism was never an option for Jewish salvation. Quite the opposite, it was a formula for human beings to be used as pawns for the power trip of several desperadoes. A perfidy! A betrayal beyond description!http://www.truetorahjews.org/lieberman

Mom442

Yes. The traditional word for the Hebrew people giving sacrifice was “Holocaust.”

AsleepNoMore

Remember who you are dealing with – people who think if they die for their cause they get 72 virgins in heaven and their families will revere them as martyrs. Israel has given warnings to the civilians prior to attacks to avoid killing them, and Hamas won’t let them leave because higher death counts bring sympathy.

Redheaded Stepchild

You’ve been watching FOX again, haven’t you! Silly person!

http://FreedomOutpost.com/ Tim Brown

Nope read the Qur’an and the hadiths….have you? Oh that’s right, you’re just making it up as you go.

Redheaded Stepchild

I have. It was required when I was at university. Didn’t like it any more than I liked Talmud.

AsleepNoMore

Actually, I never touch the stuff. I go to many sources, both foreign and alternative, but no network news except to see what propaganda they’re pushing.

bob ab

72 Virgins??? Did u get that from watching Family Guy lol. I studied religion at UNC Chapel Hill and am well educated on both Islam and Christianity, among others. 72 Virgins is nowhere in the Qur’an and it is not in any authentic hadith’s. It was a forgery and muslim’s DO NOT take from it. A quick Google would have showed you that smh.

The Internet, were people post nonsense just to make a point.

AsleepNoMore

Maybe not as well educated on Islam as you seem to think.

Whilst there are numerous sources, including the Qur’an, which tell us believing males will be rewarded with virgins, many who are concerned about the authenticity of the 72 virgins concept are under the misconception that there is only one weak (da`if) reference to the exact number of houri given to them. These narrations are in fact found in many hadith collections with varying levels of authenticity, ranging from hasan (good) to sahih (authentic).

For example, in the Sunan Ibn Majah, one of the six major Hadith collections,[31] it states in a hasan (good)[9] narration that every male admitted into Paradise will be given eternal
erections and wed to 72 wives, all with libidinous sex organs.[10] Similarly in another hadith with multiple narrators that has been graded hasan (good), it states that the martyr (shahid) will be married to seventy-two of al-hoor al-‘iyn.[32][33]

In the Sunan al-Tirmidhi, another of the six major Hadith collections,[31] it states that the smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode with seventy-two houri.[34] Note that this is not a “weak Hadith that has no Sanad (chain of narrators)”, as some have claimed.[35] It has been graded hasan sahih gharib,[9] meaning this hadith is hasan since it has several chains of
transmitters, it is sahih as the chains are all authentic and it is gharib in the words that Imam Tirmidhi narrated.[36]

Also reported in Sunan al-Kubra and Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and declared sahih (authentic)[9] by Ibn Abi Shayba, Ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim is the hadith that states the servant in Paradise will be married with seventy wives and that they’ll be given the sexual strength for a hundred.[37]

Orthodox Muslim theologians have related further hadith that give us the exact number of 72, such as al-Ghazali who wrote, “[The Prophet said] the lowest rank of an inmate of Paradise will have eighty thousand servants and seventy two wives.”[38]

bob ab

where did the reward of 72 virgins in paradise for suicide come from? Are there any Islamic teachings we can point to endorsing that?

When we look at the highest authority in Islam, the Quran, we find nothing in it endorsing rewards for suicide. Instead we find the strongest condemnation with severe punishments for those who commit suicide. When we look at Hadiths, which after the Quran is second in authority in Islam, we find nothing in the authentic Bukhari and Muslim Hadiths endorsing suicide. Instead we find strong condemnation for it.

Searching what Muslims refer to as Gharib Hadiths (weak or strange Hadiths) we do find something about 72 wives but not virgins. The Hadith we find is the following:

Sunan al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2562 says:

The Prophet Muhammad was heard saying: “The smallest reward for the people of Paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance from Al-Jabiyyah [a Damascus suburb] to Sana’a [Yemen]“

This is as a weak Hadith that has no Sanad — line or sequence of narration. Although listed in an authoritative collection, this particular Hadith has technical weaknesses in its chain of transmitters and is therefore not considered impeccable. As a result, Muslims are not required to believe in it. Even if the Hadith was true, there is nothing about it that says that if someone commits suicide they would get 72 virgins in paradise.

bob ab

I know you’re searching the Internet now for something to copy and paste and reply to me…. don’t waste your time. Men, women, and children are dying by the dozens and you’re more concerned about 72 virgins smh. If you think that is the reason for all of this bloodshed, then you’re not only naive, you’re a gullible fool.

Lisa Liel

If someone comes against you with a gun, it is your responsibility to make them drop the gun, or to take the gun away from him. The Arabs — who elected Hamas their national representatives in open elections — are firing rockets at Israeli population centers. The number of casualties isn’t important. Getting them to stop is important. At whatever cost is necessary.

And let me remind you further. The election in which Hamas won a decisive victory wasn’t even just the Arabs of Gaza. It was the Arabs of Gaza, of Judea and Samaria (which you call the West Bank), and of East Jerusalem.

I don’t like Obama any more than you do, but he is our President. And Hamas is their leadership. The only reason Fatah still controls Judea and Samaria is that those kleptocrats couldn’t bear the thought of giving up all that lovely money. So they refused to step down.

The truth is, you can’t make a distinction between “Palestinians” and Hamas.

Redheaded Stepchild

So you are one of those who believes in punishing innocent people for crimes committed by their governments?

LaurenceL

Show may any other nation that would do nothing when hundreds of rockets are launched into their lands. There could be peace overnight. All the Arabs have to do is stop. That’s it. Just stop. Renouce the terrorism, renouce Hamas and all of it’s various connecting organizations and recognize Israels right to exist. But we both know that is not going to happen. Islam is dedicated to the complete destruction of Israel, and so Israel must fight. Israel is not “Punishing” innocents. Israel is doing absoltuely everything it can to not hurt innocents, but it simply cannot stand by and be attacked over and over, day by day.

Guest

Show may any other nation that would do nothing when their country is being invaded by a bunch of dim witted psycho gyspsies who steal and murder while claiming that God told them to do it.

Frankly Knot

Show may any other nation that would do nothing when their country is
being invaded by a bunch of dim witted psycho gypsies who steal and
murder while claiming that God told them to do it.

DanielB04

France?

111757793

It’s interesting ow you prejudice works well for you. You seem to be ignoring the obvious, but that’s understandable when you only see things one way.

bob ab

It is war between the two countries if I recall. I’m sure if Hamas and fighter jets and cluster bombs that they wouldn’t be firing rockets lol. If you read the article it clearly says that Israel usually breaks the ceasefire more than Gaza. Once the ceasefire is broke….. do you think that they will “just stop”. Both countries are full of egos at the end of the day.

LaurenceL

Bob, Hamas is not a country. It is a criminal organzation intent upon the murder of as many Jews as possible. In my view the times of “Ceasefires” is over. Such times only servedto allow Hamas to rearm itself. Hamas must be eradicated and Gaza retaken.

bob ab

Please don’t insult my intelligence. Of course Hamas is not a country, but since many people seem to describe Hamas and the Palestinians as one in the same, you know where I was getting at. As far as saying that Hamas needs to be eradicated…. HOW? Killing innocents? Elephant in the room that you’re not looking at – killing innocents ALWAYS breeds more terrorists and hatred of those doing the killings. Do you actually think these people will see their toddlers, wives, grandmothers etc being killed and not want to avenge their deaths by whatever means… including suicide bombings etc. It’s a sick situation and both sides need to get it together and stop thinking that killing will solve the problem. It hasn’t in the past, and it won’t in the future.

LaurenceL

Well Bob, you tell me How is that going to happen? How is peace possible when the Muslim Brotherhood has the famous “Three Nos”. NO Peace, No regnition of Israels right to exist, and no negioations. Israel gave the PLO 95% of what they wanted and still not only no peace but thousands of rockets into Israel. And Israel should have it’s hands in it’s pockets and do nothing? Israel must deal with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in the ame way we delt with thier buddies the Nazis. Eradication.

bob ab

So the Jews eradicated the Nazi’s? I learned something new… I thought it was the Jews being sent off to gas chambers by the hundreds. Boy I tell you, I learn something new everyday.

Anyway, I just want to know from you…. if it costs the lives of 10,000 innocent women and children, is it worth it to rid Gaza of Hamas?

Btw… I don’t have the solution other than to kick both the Israeli’s and Palestinian’s out of the whole damn area and turn it into a “no mans land” since they don’t know how to behave. If two kid’s are fighting over a toy, you take it so neither of them can have it lol where will Hamas fire rockets into then. Where will Israel bomb then? lol… seriously though, I see u didn’t reply to the fact that I said the killing of innocents will only breed more hatred and terrorists against Israel. How can you not understand that?

LaurenceL

Re
read what I wrote. I did not say that the Jews eradicated the Nazi forces.

You
seem to think that Hamas is on some sort of moral equivalency with Israel when
you state they are two kids who can’t behave. How can a terrorist organization
be equal in any manner to a legitimate state?

You
then go on to say that you would kick both out of the area. That’s an
interesting solution. Since the key issue of Israel’s right to exist, are you
saying you would dissolve the State of Israel? Just asking as I’m not clear on
what you would do.

Or
do you mean that you would kick everyone out of the West Bank and Gaza? Now I
agree, the bigger the buffer zone between the two the better, but the problem is
that Iran is supplying rockets with an ever increasing range to Hamas. So how
far would you keep the two apart and how would you do so?

As
far as breeding hate, for as long as the Muslim Brotherhood is allowed to exist
there will be no peace. They have made that very clear, and I take them at
their word. Why would anyone think otherwise?

bob ab

“Israel must deal with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in the ame way we delt with thier buddies the Nazis. Eradication.”

I’m not trying to be a smart ass, that’s exactly what it looks like your saying…. and who the hell is “WE”?????

Neither of them can behave…. Hamas is too ignorant to realize that shooting a damn rocket won’t accomplish a thing! Israel is to damn ignorant and idiotic to realize that killing hundreds and potentially thousands of innocents will only breed more hatred and more backlash from terrorists trying to avenge deaths of their loved ones. That’s like if I kill a gang member and live directly across the street from him…. common sense would tell me that they are going to continue to retaliate…. is that not common sense??????? If you lose a 3 year old beautiful daughter to a bomb and see her split in half, don’t you think the father, uncle, brother intends on retaliating? Once again, is this not common sense??????????

LaurenceL

The “We” would be the Allied Forces in WWII. If common sense was all it took there would be no war but the sad part of it is there is no sense to it. On that we can agree. A wise man once asked “If Israel said From this pont on we will fight no more forever” what would happen? And if Hamas and all it’s connected groups said “From this point on we will fight no more forever” what would happen?

If Israel said “We will fight no more” there would be an immediate extermination of all Jews.

If Hamas said “We will fight no more” there would be, just as with Egypt and Jordan, peace the next day. What can be more clear?

bob ab

Hmmm…. when there is peace, even if it is for a short amount of time, why does Israel break the ceasefire? I hope you’re not naive enough to believe that anytime peace it’s broken, it’s never the fault of Israel. You’re not that naive I hope.

Mom442

I think “Israel” always has a reason, Bob. Sometimes, it’s some children throwing rocks at their tanks, and sometimes it’s a homemade rocket that makes a bit of noise and cracks some pavement. Perhaps, another reason is that, as “Israel’s” leaders have stated many times: “God gave ALL of the land to Israel!” (Actually, it was more like Lord Rothschild and the British government–not “God”)…”By Way of Deception, We Do War!”

bob ab

It’s sickening at the very least. They aren’t too bright as a people.

Mom442

I don’t agree, Bob. Unfortunately, they know what they are doing, and that makes it all the worse.

bob ab

Yeah, you do have a point.

Mom442

Which side has this motto: “By Way of Deception, We Do War”?

LaurenceL

be-tachbūlōt ta`aseh lekhā milchāmāh
Hebrew בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה

What you are referring to is the old motto, still it does not translate to what you wrote, it translate to: “For by wise counsel thou shalt wage thy war”.

The new motto, is from the Old Testament
be-’éyn tachbūlōt yippol `ām; ū-teshū`āh be-rov yō’éts (Hebrew:
באין תחבולות יפול עם, ותשועה ברוב יועץ‎
Translation
“Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs XI, 14).

The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine.

The motto of the Muslim Brotherhood, incidentally, is “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope. Allahu akbar!” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood)Article Seven: The Universality of Hamas

The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him! This will not apply to the Gharqad, which is a Jewish tree (cited by Bukhari and Muslim).

[Peace] initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement.

This is Hamas. This is the party that was elected by all of the so-called Palestinians to lead them. By a large margin. And anyone who thinks they wouldn’t be elected again if elections were held today is delusional.

I dont understand your comment. If you are suggeting that Iron Dome alone will suffice then you clearly don’t understand the nature of war. You can’t win a fight by only blocking punches. At some point you must punch back. You must reduce and then eliminate the enemys ability to strike.

Mom442

The Iron Dome protects them from harm. As for the “punches,” those have been going on nearly non-stop for 67 years.

Lisa Liel

The Iron Dome protects us from most missiles. Tell me, if Mexico was firing missiles at the US, would you be okay with it, as long as we were able to shoot most of them down before they hit American towns?

And it doesn’t protect us from the tunnels. They took all the building materials that were intended for infrastructure and schools and used it to build a vast network of tunnels to allow them to enter Israel undetected and kill Jews. Iron Dome… not much use with tunnels.

LaurenceL

No it does not. Iron Dome does not protect from suicide bombers. It does not protect from sniper fire and it didn’t do one bit of good for those poor three teenagers that Hamas murdered. It’s way past time to clean out that whole murderous bunch. I pray the IDF does not stop until the West Bank of free. Take it, hold it and never ever give it back to terrorists. Period. That has been tried and nothing but grief came from it. Done!

LaurenceL — You are getting your wish for more bloodshed….more children are killed each day.

It’s a psychotic bloody genocide. Sleep well tonight.

LaurenceL

Both Hamas and it’s bastard parent The Muslim Brotherhood have deep ties to the worst part of the Nazi party. The Mufti met with Hitler and in turn Hitler supported the Mufti and the Musilm Brotherhood. Hitler even sent his top people to assist the Muslim Brotherhood in its quest for domination and the extinction of Jews. So there you have the genealogy of Hamas, the PLO ( Arafat knew, had contact and trained with those murdering Nazi bastardse Nazi sons of bitches) and the Muslim Brothershood. You damned right I want more bloodshed. Just like I don’t shed a tear over people like Eichmann, Goebles, Himler, and the rest died, I want that whole organization D. E. A. D! THe problem for the civilized world is that they didn’t die soon enough to save over 60,000,000 people.

http://FreedomOutpost.com/ Tim Brown

Hang on, innocent people? These people elected ISlamic jihadists to represent them. They are happy to have Israel get pounded by rockets, whether they kill anyone or not. I don’t see Palestinians standing up and demanding Hamas stop, do you? Sort of like those non-existent “moderate” muslims in America standing up against the true followers of Mohamed who engage in jihad.

Mom442

Sort of like those non-existent freedom-loving Americans who refuse to stand up to the criminal government that has taken over the U.S. I suppose American citizens must be punished for their government’s dirty deeds as well, eh?

Redheaded Stepchild

Interesting point, Mom442.

bob ab

“These people elected islamist jihadist to represent them”

I didn’t know 3 and 4 year olds were allowed to vote. Who cares about them though right? Kids full of innocence then never will get a chance to live and have a life. You sound like a conplete idiot.

Bob

“At whatever cost” is something only a psychopath would do. There is a cost of your humanity when you commit an act that is 100x worse than the acts your trying to stop. In this particular case it is 340x worse…so far.

Lisa Liel

And yet they haven’t even slowed their attacks. We do our best to avoid hitting civilians. But it’s kind of hard when they intentionally surround their rocket launchers with civilians. See, Israel builds shelters for its civilians. The Arabs use their resources for more and more weapons to kill Israeli civilians.

Here’s a video of a “brave” Arab fighter. He sets the rocket to launch and runs away while an older Arab holds a group of Arab children right next to it, so that if Israel blows up the rocket, they’ll have some nice pictures of dead children to show the world.

Youssef B

The old man in video was talking about Bashar Al Assad, the video was held in Syria, it’s fake

Mom442

Just one of many fakes. And it doesn’t even show anybody being injured. Pathetic

Duncan_McFarlane

So there were rocket launchers on the second floor of the hospital were there? Rocket launchers firing out of the cafe? Rocket launchers in all the family homes that were bombed?

http://FreedomOutpost.com/ Tim Brown

So Bob, let’s say you get an Islamist come in your yard, but is blind and start shooting at your house….doesn’t hit anything or anyone but the ground, and you, like me, have many children in your home….you wouldn’t do whatever it takes to stop him, including killing him? If you say no to that, then I question the reality you perceive. Same thing applies here.

LaurenceL

Tim, good responce. I’m going to remember you analogy.

Mom442

Our U.S. tax dollars provided “Israel” with the “Iron Dome” that makes sure such a scenario as you envision never happens to “Israel.” In addition, in order for your hypothetical example to play out, you would have to conclude that you must annihilate the entire neighborhood in order that no more “Islamists” can “come in your yard.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHH6MRmw_Jo

Chloe Blue

ABSOLUTELY!

http://FreedomOutpost.com/ Tim Brown

Exactly Lisa, exactly.

Duncan_McFarlane

Israelis elected Begin with Ariel Sharon as his Defence Minister, who helped organise the Sabra and Shatila massacres. Israelis Yitzakh Shamir as their Prime Minister, despite the fact he had been a member of Lehi, which boasted of being a terrorist group and assassinated UN envoy Count Folke Bernadotte who had saved many Jewish people during the Holocaust. Israelis elected Ariel Sharon as Prime Minister, despite his lifelong history of personally leading massacres of civilians like the Qibya massacre when in the military and ordering war crimes as Defence Minister and Prime Minister. There has never been an Israeli Prime Minister who didn’t both oversee military campaigns involving war crimes against civilians and refuse to countenance a Palestinian state with any real sovereignty.

Have a look at the Amnesty International report on the last big Israeli ‘Operation’ in Gaza – Cast Lead in 2008/2009 – which found that many Palestinian civilians were killed in their own homes while no fighting was going on in the area, using advanced targeting systems including night vision and magnification. Or take a look at Human rights Watch’s report on “White Flag Deaths” (multiple shootings of unarmed civilians holding white flags while no fighting was going on in the area)

So why is the Israeli government and why are the Israeli electorate supposedly in any way morally superior to the Palestinians? Applying your own logic to Israelis would mean you think all Israelis are legitimate targets because most of them voted for war criminals. I’d emphasise that that is NOT something I believe.

And the dozens of dead Palestinian children and the hundreds of wounded Palestinian children? They’re responsible for what Hamas or Islamic Jihad decides to do? They control them do they? And the 400 odd dead Palestinians, around 70% of them civilians on UN and B’TSelem figures, that’s proportionate to a rocket threat which has killed only 2 Israeli civilians and wounded a few dozen? And targeting family homes of Hamas members and of Gazans with no links to any armed group? And hospitals? And cafes? That’s justified is it?

It’s not defending yourself – it’s revenge killings of civilians on a large scale.

Justmyside

I agree launching rockets at a Nuclear Power plant >> U would have to be a psychopath !
Targeting a Nuclear Power Plant; only convinced what any rational person already knew >>> that Hamas doesn’t care about the land , that they never did >>
That in reality, all they wanted all along is to push all Jews into the Sea.
Just Lucky Iron Dome held up to its name & reputation
Because if you were successful >> the radiation would have contaminated not just the State of Israel for hundreds of years, but possibly the neighbouring countries as well.
Let alone the damage to the rest of the world.
Especially with radiation already causing a problem around Japan & the Western Pacific.
Let’s just cause another radiation problem for the Atlantic Ocean too.
Now that was a real dumb ass, brain dead move.
What could they possibly have been thinking.
This selfishness of Hamas, in attempting to take out a Nuclear Power Plant >> is a crime not just against Israel >>> but against humanity.
So, how anybody would support a terrorist group that targeted a Nuclear Power Plant, is beyond sane reasoning.
All Hamas has done is shown there true intentions >> shows just how barbaric & backward the level of brainwashing is to the Muslim people throughout the Middle East; all against the people of Israel.
It was the attempted attack on the Nuclear Power Plant a week ago , that was the straw that broke the camels back.
It was the attack on the Nuclear Power plant that has pushed Israel to deal with Hamas once & for all.
For if Hamas is willing to contaminate the Middle East with radiation >>
Then there is nothing Hamas isn’t capable of !
If while putting to the end the terrorist organization of Hamas >> collateral damage does happen in Gaza.
Like it has >>> but it would have been a lot worse >> without the intentional effort of the Israeli military in minimizing civilian deaths.
All possible means of limiting civilian casualties is being observed, even at the cost of notifying civilians >> results in missing the target or self sacrifice.
This cannot be refuted !!
But if 500 hundred or more innocent civilians are caught in the cross fire, even if their women & children >>
But it means the end of Hamas & their constant cowardly attacks on the innocent civilians of Israel >>> then so be it.
Because, again if that attack on the nuke plant was successful >>
Millions of Israeli’s would have died, if not right away but in the future by Cancer, hundred of thousands of them children, women & the plain old innocent !!
Wouldn’t have mattered that they not only contaminated all of Israel >> making the land useless to Hamas themselves for hundred of years,
Didn’t matter that radiation doesn’t care about borders >> that the countries surrounding Israel would have lost land & there people suffering from radiation exposure , causing Cancer for years to come.
Just doesn’t matter what all that radiation would have done to the rest of the world.
Just doesn’t matter the lasting agonizing deaths from Cancer that would have happened around the world.
All due to their religiously racist attempt of eliminating the Jews off the face of the map.
Totally regardless of any other innocent that would have been affected, or the harm to the environment.
Because it was in the name of Jihad.
That all Muslims killed would have been martyrs & gone to heaven anyways right >>
And to Hell with everybody else.
Nice bunch of people ur supporting their
I’m sure their are more psychopaths on death row that need some ur support.
Maybe u can all start ur own cult

Mom442

Thanks, Duncan! Excellent analysis!

Justmyside

RED ALERT APP :

Download the app “Red Alert Israel”
In setting select “all areas”.
Now every time Hamas launches a missile anywhere in Israel, an “Air raid Siren” will sound.
People in Israel can select their area or town for notification.
You will get an overall idea of exactly how many & where the missiles are actually targeted in Israel.
Sometimes it will go off, like every 6 minutes or 15 or maybe not for 3 hours or more.
Don’t turn it off
You might get annoyed at it going off.
But just think
If you were in Israel , you would be living through the constant threat of where the next missile is going to land.
The stress at 3am of waking your family & heading down to the basement or if your lucky a bomb shelter.
I think everyone should get this IPhone app
Then we can at least understand what living in Israel is like 24/7
Remember don’t turn off the app
If you were in Israel
You wouldn’t be able to turn off the missiles.

Mom442

Obviously, the safest place is out in the open where you can sit and have a party while you watch the Palestinians blown to smitherines.

If hamas is holding people at gunpoint or placing civilians in harms way for casualty numbers to mount that is wrong. However, it is no different than what israel is doing. Hamas, hoping to achieve political and humanitarian goals (open the egypt crossing for supplies, forcing an israeli pullback ect) is sacrificing people to that end. Israel is wanting a political/secuirty solution of ending hamas’ role as leaders by killing scores of people to achieve that goal. Both groups are willing to sacrifice for their cause. There is no moral highground for either group.

The main difference is, no matter how much the israel govt cries about protecting their citizens there is more danger from lightning strikes than hamas rockets. Hamas on the other hand, if they could get the eygpt crossing opened would see a flow of much needed medical supplies, construction items and foodstuffs flow to the palestinians. If israel would just allow these supplies in the 1st place hamas would have less leverage. You have to wonder what is the goal of the israeli govt? Why not allow proper goods to enter gaza so those people don’t have such a poor existance? Keeping them stuck in an open air prison is creating more terrorists just as when the US drone bombs wedding parties. You can’t bomb for peace.

http://FreedomOutpost.com/ Tim Brown

Bob, those people who wanted to assimilate into Israeli society have….nearly 2.5 million Paelstinians (over 1 fifith) in the west bank. Those who stay in Gaza are choosing to do so.

Mom442

Cram 1.8 million people into a small, stinking ghetto with no bomb shelters…set up blockades to keep them from getting fresh water, food, and other necessities. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that bombs dropped in such an area will ALWAYS result in massive numbers of dead and injured.

Lisa Liel

Here are some awful videos of that “small, stinking ghetto”. Which I’ll remind you has no bomb shelters because they used all their building materials to build tunnels into Israel to kill Jews.

Now… I’ll admit that that last one might not count. After all Hamas did burn the place to the ground. But the rest of it. God… how can anyone be so cruel as to let people languish in such poverty and filth! It’s awful. I mean, if you watch these videos, you can see why the Arabs of Gaza would hate Israel so much.

Mom442

I can show you videos and still shots of how Iraq looked before bombed them, as well as how Palestine looked before the occupation. It proves…ah, yes, as you point out, “why the Arabs of Gaza would hate Israel so much.”

Chloe Blue

All Israeli owned and directed videos used to discredit the
sufferings of the people of Gaza. Zionists are behind this evil.

This type of
propaganda won’t work, the truth will prevail.

Chloe Blue

The ONE percent can afford those luxuries. You are spreading lies. All the photos and videos of murdered people and CHILDREN and the destroyed homes are online for the WORLD to see. You can’t un-ring a bell. The docile world had woken up!

Chloe Blue

YES…..very good points. I wonder what the endgame is as well?

Now that there is an international uprising and protests across the world….thousands gathering in all the big cities…..what “solution” will be presented? What “solution” will be offered to the masses, that the public would have NEVER accepted before this evil attack in Gaza?

The powers-that-be KNEW that through social media the truth could not be hidden as easily as in the past, so I have no doubt that they knew there would be a public outcry that was bigger than ever.

We will wait and see.

Frankly Knot

The theory that Hamas soldiers are standing next to a building that they know, without a doubt, is about to be blown up is utterly retarded. Why are you dorks even disusing it? What the hell is wrong with you?

Mom442

So true. “Keystone Cops” LOL. Can’t you just see them standing in the doorway as a bomb is dropped on the place? Duh!

111757793

Roof knocking gives them less than a minute to evacuate. When Zionists continually demonize the NAZIs as their meme but then turn around and behave exactly like them is so evident.

Bobby Powell

If my house was “roof knocked,” how much you wanna bet I’d be out in less than 15 seconds. No other military in the world goes to the lengths that Israel does to protect innocent life. Hamas, on the other hand, gets off on the deaths of innocents – even their own.

When bloody Hamas fires a rocket into city centres in Israel they have less than 45 seconds to find shelter.. and your point is???????

Hipocrates

Hmm. We attacked Al Qaeda in an effort to keep them from attacking us and as a result have caused somewhere between 120,000 to 160,000 civilian deaths in 2 countries. Do we really have any right to judge Israel?

Mom442

“We”? I certainly did not authorize or applaud it, but “Israel” certainly did! We need to always ask ourselves before sending our children to die: “WHO BENEFITS?”

Duncan_McFarlane

Al Qaeda wasn’t even able to operate in Iraq before the invasion – and it’s highly debatable whether bombing and occupying the whole of Afghanistan did much to weaken a global terrorist group that can operate anywhere and trained for the 9-11 attacks in flight schools in the US. So maybe former members of the Bush admin and Blair government can’t judge Israel (and never bothered to), but the people who opposed those wars can.

jfrchitect

Although the official 9/11 Report pretty much tried to sweep it under the rug. Kalik Sheik Mohammed, the man who conceived and engineered the 9/11 attacks, cited the US’ unquestionably support for Israel and the atrocities they commit as the motivation for the attack. I didn’t support Israel. I did not support the hell, misery, and havoc US intervention in the Middle East has wrought. I feel that I can judge the Israelis as war criminals.

guest

The reason that the death toll in the Israeli civilian is low is thanks to Iron Dome and the fact that Israel invest tons of money to alert the civilian about rockets attacks and invests money on shelters.

Mom442

That investment is compliments of anywhere from $3 Billion to $6 Billion of our American tax dollars each and every year (for many decades now). ‘Shame we Americans don’t have such high-tech systems for our protection. We couldn’t even stop 19 cave dwellers from invading our air space on 9-11.

LP

And the Hamas is using all the Billion of dollars the UAE, Saudi, Qatar and the rest of the Arab nations channel their way to build a city of tunnels under the Israeli border.
Everyone uses their resources differently.

3ly

billion???

more like 53 million from KSA
to rebuild homes and infrastructure

the palistinians even refused aide from UAE because of their obvious hypocracy

they are sick of their arab brothers blatant hypocracy

the KSA has given more to the persian gov. in Iraq (500 million)
then they have given to the palistinians
KSA Jordan Egypt are proxy gov. of the israeli regime

Lisa Liel

Jordan and Egypt are run by Israel? Are you high? Or is it only that any Arab country that doesn’t want to obliterate Israel *must* be under Israeli control?

3ly

every muslim in the world believes Israel is occupying holy muslim land

Meanwhile reasonable people who can think for themselves look at both sides as idiots who believe in fairy tales and continue to kill each other over land you claim was given to you all by your imaginary friend. It’s mind blowing that in a day we can put and control robots on mars, cure many diseases and harness nuclear power, we still have billions of people believing fairy tales.

3ly

its amazing that atheists think their religion is even half as rational as the belief in god

when there is not a sign in our history that civilization has ever arisen from the religion of atheists

atheists are parasites who feed off of the security and welfare of great civilizations ruled by the laws of god

Lol you’re funny guy. Your ignorance is pretty sad at this day and age. Truly. While you obviously know many things that many in the west fail to see or purposely ignore, your above opinion of atheism and atheists is about as wrong as your holy book and it’s opinions in women or dogs…or non believers or most things.

But don’t worry, everyone’s holy books are wrong. But please continue to kill yourselves over this crap I mean after all it’s just the future of everyone on earth at stake.

3ly

the holy books have done more good to the world than evil

when you grow up you will realize the difference between
the Religion and the Religious

believing in god isnt ignorance
its a belief in hope justice love and beauty

BusLoadingOnly

I can’t agree that theyve done more good than evil. They have certainly inspired many good deads and good works. However whether more good than evil is arguable at best. And it’s a whole lot of bad.

Justice is subjective within religion. Love, beauty and kindness are human traits not exclusively religious ones. I do not doubt that there are billions of good people who are as grateful as I am for everything from food on the table to the stars in the sky but what some people believe is their motivation to be good (not go to hell) makes them tainted and I don’t think you can cherish this wonderful world and life if you believe it is only an appetizer.

Bee

And those cave dwellers were most likely apart of Hamas and the money pit that is burning as a furnace as we speak, that most of the world wants to save by the deception of the Palestinian people. Are we serious the people can not move out of Gaza when being warned. Babylon must burn if we are to ever understand any truth and get out of this mess of deception, that looks to save the trading unit of the world. Palestinians are being used as shields to receive all this wealth.

http://FreedomOutpost.com/ Tim Brown

Ben, the Palestinian people ELECTED Hamas. Therefore, they are represented by them. I still say this is two sided.

Mom442

And the American people supposedly (minus all the blatant election fraud) “elected” Comrade Obama. Are we Americans, then, to be blamed by the world for the decisions made by our rogue government?

bob ab

One hell of a reply

Bobby Powell

“From fiscal year 2008-2013, annual U.S. bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip has averaged over $600 million.”

In the days after Obama first took office in 2009, he presented a gift of $900 million to Hamas. This was followed up with another $300-400 million later that year. Israel received a little over $2 billion dollars that year. When you add in the BILLIONS given to Hamas by the Saudis, Qataris, and others, Hamas is WELL funded. And they are our enemies, listed by the State Department as a terrorist entity which to this day has the destruction of Israel as a central tenet of their charter.

War is a horrible thing. It should be, so that people avoid it at all costs. But when you go to war, you must go to war to win. Winning, to this Marine, is not giving with one hand and taking away with the other. The only way Israel will ever see a truly peaceful day is to utterly crush Hamas, and I mean kill every freaking one of them. Obviously I’m not talking about ordinary Palestinians. As this article point out, those poor people are the victims here; but so is Israel.

Any solution that doesn’t include the eradication of Hamas will fail.

bob ab

“The only way to ever see a peaceful day is to utterly crush hamas, and I mean kill every freaking one of them”….

if this is the logic of all the people in charge than we’re doomed. Your logic is as baseless as the war against terror. How do you not see the HUGE elephant in the room? Killing innocents will ONLY breed more hatred for those doing the killings. It’s common sense.

How do you plan on utterly crushing hamas? Bombs and troops on the ground won’t work because even if all Hamas are killed, there will be another group that comes to power that will intend on causing destruction to Israel for the killing of their mother, sister, son, grandmother etc. We have to think of a LOGICAL solution. Think. Actually be a CRITICAL THINKER. This way is has not been working, is not working, and will never work.

What are the options? Going by your logic, the only solution would be to kill ALL the Palestinians. Man, woman, and child. That way there will be nobody left to avenge a family members death…. correct? Just think though, is it worth it? Your response to that will show your true character as a human being.

Chloe Blue

VERY well said. Violence begets violence.
Israel has become nothing but a violent, ruthless, media-spin propagation machine.

Bobby Powell

We Marines have a saying: Peace Through Superior Firepower.

When you are dealing with terrorist entities like Hamas, violence is the only language they understand. There is NO negotiating with these people, if there were I would be a huge advocate for a negotiated peace and a state for Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza; something they could have had 20 years ago if the Palestinians would simply recognize the Israeli’s right to exist.

jfrchitect

War is a rich man’s terror. Terror is a poor man’s war. How’s that overwhelmingly superior firepower workin’ for you in Afghanistan, Bob.
Superior firepower seems to be no match for human courage.

Bobby Powell

The will to use it is also necessary. Have you read the rules of engagement? They are ridiculous. I think war should be avoided at all costs (I wouldn’t have gone into Iraq at all if I was POTUS), but once the enemy is engaged, violence must be focused on the target until the threat no longer exists.

How many innocent French civilians died during the Normandy invasion, do you know? I’ll save you the Google: 50,000. Let that sink in for a moment.

In AFG, we can’t fire until fired upon. We can watch Hadji bury a roadside bomb via the night vision on a drone, but can’t take him out without permission for three different people. It’s f’ing stupid.

Once the decision to go to war has been made, it MUST be followed through WWII-style. Decimate the enemy and they seem to lose their taste for douchebaggery. I notice Japan and Germany have decided it’s in their best interests not to show their ass again (took the Germans two wars in 20 years to figure it out, but hey…)

What’s your suggestion? Let Hamas complete their tunnels and continue to fire rockets into exclusively civilian areas? Just exactly how many dead Jews does it take for you to understand how evil Hamas is? 10? 100? 1,000? At what point do they earn the right to be able to defend themselves from an EXISTENTIAL threat?

LaurenceL

Bobby, I agree. The Arabs have said that if they can send one suicide bomber to kill five Jews then in 20 years Israel will run out of Jews. There is no peace possible with these people. The sooner the civilized world understands this basic point the better.

Mom442

Really?? What happened to the Arabs’ ability to calculate? Do they actually think there are only 100 Jews there? LOL

Boris

are you a jew?

Redheaded Stepchild

Bobby, I’m a bit surprised that you would take such a position, and a bit confused. It doesn’t appear that you are the least concerned about the innocent civilians that are dying in Gaza so long as Israel is triumphant and destroys Hamas. That smells of fascism. I thought you opposed fascism! I’ve watched many of your videos in the past, and I was pretty certain you opposed fascism. What happened?

Bobby Powell

Hamas are the biggest fascists in the Middle East! Here are the three shows I’ve produced about Hamas, the first is the very first episode of TTiV, before it was even TTiV, produced in 2009 (skip the first 3 minutes.)

Finally, google “Wafa al-Bass.” This young Palestinian woman was told by Hamas that she was too ugly to ever find a husband, that the only way she would ever get to Paradise would be to wear a suicide belt intended to murder the Jewish doctors and nurses that had been treating her disfiguring burns from a cooking accident for free.

That one incident alone should tell you everything you need to know about Hamas. They are murderers who don’t even care about their fellow Palestinians; just ask Fatah supporters who had their legs broken in the streets of Gaza and were thrown off of rooftops by Hamas operatives after they took over Gaza. You can see that footage 12 minutes into this episode.

Hope that clears it up for you (and I pray that Ben’s moderators will let this comment show. I’m not spamming, just answering a question.)

God bless,
Bobby

joe

You are a sick person. There’s a special pace in hell for people like you.

Bobby Powell

Says the anonymous troll whose opinion is as valid as his identity.

jfrchitect

The US gave $0 to Hamas. It does give little payoffs to its PA sock puppet, Abbas.
The only thing the US gave Hamas was bullets supplied to Fatah in a US/Israeli sponsored coup attempt that failed. You don’t know what you’re talking about

Robert MacKay

I just don’t care about this battle at all. I am sick of being told I have to choose a side and that Israel is important for the survival of our nation – its all a big marketing campaign to get the US to back Israel in a war against Islam. No thanks don’t we have enough problems of our own ?

Lisa Liel

I don’t want America’s help. I just want your idiot President and his idiot administration to leave us the hell alone.

Chloe Blue

You don’t? Give back the BILLIONS of American $$$$$$$ then!

Obama, in his speech to AIPAC:

*As president, I will implement a memorandum of understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade, investments to Israel’s security that will not be tied to any other nation.*

Poorly justified act of terror in the name of self defense…against the defenseless Gazan……

Cara

You provide no sources for your information. I will not be returning to this site for “information.”

Dave Eboch

WHY DO WE AS A COUNTRY ALLOW ISRAEL A FREE PASS ON TERRORISM. THESE PEOPLE ARE AWFUL. THEY DID 911 BUT OUR GOVERNMENT WILL BLAME SAUDI ARABIA FOR THE WHOLE THING. JUST TERRIBLE.

Lisa Liel

Are you insane? *Israel* did 9/11? How dumb are you?

joe

The death toll is 1800 not 340. Even when this was written on July 20th the death toll was over 1000. Get thos people on the ground worker harder to get you some more accurate numbers.

Neil

Mahatma Gandhi was asked once what he thought of American civilisation.
He replied” I think it’s an excellent idea”.
People are dying in their thousands here for the sake of the gas and oil reserves that I believe Israel wants to plunder from the Palestinian deal made with the PA. By British Gas. In 2000.
People are dying for governmental politics and egocentric imperialistic mass murder.
Politics= Poli- many.
Tics- blood sucking parasites feeding off their host in order to proliferate whilst not killing the source of it’s nourishment.
Free Palestine and screw you American government. The largest hypocritical terrorist organisation on the planet.